Matt the $4.5m man
By Rupert Guinness
April 22, 2006
AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union boss Gary Flowers yesterday flew to Perth to investigate alleged breaches by the Western Force over their aggressive recruiting strategies.
His move comes in the aftermath of yesterday's signing by Brumbies superstar Matt Giteau on a three-year contract with the Force worth an astounding $4.5 million.
Flowers confirmed last night that he will be calling on the Force to prove that they have followed the ARU's protocol on player recruitment, and warned that any proven breach of it will have ramifications.
The Giteau case is fuelling most of the interest in the issue. But Flowers said it is upon a formal request from the NSW Rugby Union this week to look into the courting of Waratahs second rower Al Kanaar that he has decided to investigate.
"There has been a formal complaint from NSW in relation of an alleged breach by the Force of the ARU protocol which each [state] chief executive has signed off on," Flowers said last night.
"If there is evidence then there will be an ARU tribunal held, and if they are guilty then there will be ramifications."
Depending on the outcome of his talks with Force officials, those ramifications could range from a fine, suspension or simply to a warning.
Even before news of Giteau's signing, it was clear as Flowers was en route to Perth - on a trip that was welcomed by the NSW, ACT and Queensland unions - that the Brumbies felt the inside back was already all but gone.
"Matt expressed to us his desire to stay, but that was challenged by a huge financial offer," Brumbies chief executive Andrew ***an told The Saturday Daily Telegraph during the day.
"If Matt Giteau is to go to the Western Force he is going purely for the third party dollars."
When informed that a source told The Saturday Daily Telegraph that the annual figure on offer to Giteau in the deal was close to an unprecedented $1.5 million a year, ***an said: "That wouldn't be too far from the truth."
Broken down, the offer to Giteau would be made up of $110,000 from the Force, $500,000 as an ARU top-up, $140,000 in Test fees should he play them all, and a $750,000 in third party sponsorship.
Flowers' trip to Perth was scheduled. But he had with him as extra luggage a fresh brief from the Brumbies to follow up on their concerns over the poaching policy and aggressive tactics of the fledgling Force side.
Adding to Flowers' burden was that he also had to follow up on a formal request from the NSW Rugby Union this week to look into the Force's courting of top Waratahs second rower Kanaar.
The ARU was asked to investigate the Force's courting after he was first seen in the background on a television sports bulletin in Perth.
"We found out about it this week. He was seen by a NSWRU official on Sports Tonight in Perth," NSWRU chief executive Fraser Neil said yesterday.
"Once we confirmed he was over there we wanted to find out what was going on. We had an understanding we had almost finalised a contract and were only needing to tie up loose ends.
"We want to find out what has happened."
Neil was shocked to learn about the $1.5 million offer to Giteau.
"If you are going to be true to your squad how can you justify figures like that," said Neil, adding that the sport could not sustain such massive offers being thrown about.
Putting more pressure on Flowers to take a stand on the Giteau case is that ARU board member Peter McGrath is also in Perth this weekend.
McGrath is also ACT Rugby chairman and travelled to Perth on the same plane as Flowers.
He is a representative of the collective and grave concerns are held by the Brumbies over the Force and their attempt to poach Giteau and other players at blow-out rates.
The Brumbies yesterday said they supported the call for an ARU inquiry by the NSWRU. "I am certainly supportive of Fraser in regards to Al Kanaar," said ***an.
But ***an said that he had also spoken to both the ARU's chief operations officer Rob Clarke and its contracts officer, Shaun Barry, about the ACT side's own misgivings. "Similarly, we have expressed concern over the rumours circulating about some of the third-party money that goes beyond Matt Giteau.
"If that speculation is true it would have me quite worried about the contracting process and some of the protocols.
"The alarm bells are ringing. We are very watchful and have asked the ARU to be similarly watchful when investigating.
"We don't want to be jumping in shadows too much, but it might be a case of where there is smoke there is fire."
Queensland rugby union chief executive Theo Psaros yesterday concurred with the outcries of their rival NSW and ACT unions.
Psaros said he was anxiously awaiting the outcome of Flowers' findings from his Perth trip.
"It is timely that he has gone to Perth," he said. "What the last 48 hours has done has highlighted what a farce the whole process is. It can't be sustainable. It will turn around and bite the sport."
The Daily Telegraph